Some babies sleep through the night from 6 weeks onwards. Some babies (really, I’ve heard about these babies!) even sleep through the night from birth!! Most babies eventually sleep through the night from the moment solids are introduced.

My babies are not like that. My first baby didn’t sleep through the night until she was nearing her first birthday. Yes, we have routines. Yes, we stopped breastfeeding. Yes, we tried the Gina Ford method. Yes, we tried controlled crying. We even tried uncontrolled *&*# crying. But she steadily woke up for her bottle at 5 in the morning (to thankfully go back to sleep again until 8)!
Baby number 2 proves to be even worse. With all the moving going on, he basically got used to co-sleeping (with a self-serving milk restaurant lying right next to him)!
Now that we have moved into our new apartment, we have finally managed to get him off the breast and in his own bed, but he still wakes up at least twice every night (he’s nearly 10 months old, for the record)! Sigh.

Yesterday, he stuffed himself with dinner, and after his bath, he completely emptied a big bottle of formula. Promising, I thought! However, the moment I put him down in his (clean) bed he starting coughing so badly that he threw up his entire dinner and milk! Poor little guy. (Thankfully, I’d been lazy and gave him a ready-made jar for dinner – how I hate my children to either not like my home cooked meals, or, less their fault but still painful, throw it all up)!
After changing both the baby and the bed, I am ashamed to say that I was so knackered that I put the exhausted baby down without offering him a second bottle of milk. He went to sleep without complaining and I went to look for a big glass of wine to prepare myself for yet another interrupted night…

Do you recognize that feeling of waking up at 8 in the morning, wondering what the hell is wrong? Wondering why you are spooning with your husband? Wondering where that little creature is who is usually steeling your pillow? Wondering if you really didn’t wake up at all? Sending your husband to your baby’s bedroom, to check if he is still alive???
LAST NIGHT, MY BABY SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME. After throwing up his entire dinner. It’s a wonderful world…

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Comments (8)

Michela

December 31, 2007

did he do it again??
my first son started sleeping through the night at 8 months after we did controlled crying for a couple of nights.
Number 2, who is just 5 weeks is eting every three hours…. a good night sleep seems so far away!!!

We blessed ourselves with a baby, who would sleep through the night at about 1 month old (feed at 10.30pm and then at 6.30pm) while being breastfed. I remember friends with babies the same age ‘cursing’ us and saying one day it will be pay-back-time.
That time arrived when our son became 2 years old…… The last 8 months have been a nightmare!!!! He gets out of bed at least 5 times a night, from about midnight onwards. Having a second baby arriving in about 2 months time, we were hoping for some rest, but our son seems to think we need some practice already for his little brothers arrival!!!! So Esther, you might be lucky and have both of them maybe not sleeping well now, but get your long uninterrupted nights back at a later age! Any of you girls have any advice on sleepless toddlers?

I know this is a very old post, but comes as a relief for me at this stage where our baby number 2, who isn’t really a baby anymore (turns 2 in september) is still waking up every 3 hours…we always wanted more than 2 kids, but the second one makes us so insecure…Where did you find the courage Esther to go for a 3rd even a 4th child when number 1 and 2 were such bad sleepers?

I know this is a very old post, but comes as a relief for me at this stage where our baby number 2, who isn’t really a baby anymore (turns 2 in september) is still waking up every 3 hours…we always wanted more than 2 kids, but the second one makes us so insecure…Where did you find the courage Esther to go for a 3rd even a 4th child when number 1 and 2 were such bad sleepers?

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